Summer’s Bounty! There is nothing like fresh Basil. You wither like it or don’t… Hubbyman falls into the “Don’t” category and I fall into the “LOVE” category! I love to make up fresh pesto when I get a harvest of Basil.. however this batch is from a local farm about a mile away, Simpson’s®.I wasn’t able to grow my own this year, which is a first for me, so I went to see Mrs. Sandra and she helped me out!

My Pesto ( dairy free)

2 cups, washed, loosely packed stemmed fresh basil

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 clove fresh garlic sliced

1/2 to 1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Sea salt, to taste

1 tsp. Badia® Complete Seasoning

Combine the basil, almonds , and garlic and Badia® in a blender and process the mixture until it turns into a coarse meal.

Slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle as you pulse the processor on and off. Process until it becomes a smooth, light paste. Add enough olive oil to keep it moist and spreadable. ( you can keep it chunkier if you don’t process it as much the first time)

Season with sea salt, to taste.

Cover and store chilled for at least an hour to saturate the flavors. I like to drizzle a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil over the top to help keep it bright green.